She speaks with machine-gun flow, that characteristic New York accent, wisely nibbling at a salad as she dreams of a good burger.
Her wide brown velvet pants, her shapeless sweater and the cap she has screwed on her head leave almost nothing to guess at her beauty, making her look like any cool
kid
her age.
What is striking about Margaret Qualley is her very special presence on screen, made up of nonchalance and intensity.
A paradox.
To discover
The 3/4 Beckhams, a dream family?
In the hypnotic
Stars at Noon,
the new film by Claire Denis (Grand Prix at the last Cannes Film Festival), the camera never seems to want to leave her face.
He is in almost every shot, huge smile, big scrutinizing eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows.
Margaret Qualley loves the gaze of her beauty, both frank and supernatural – the house of Chanel was not mistaken, which made her one of its ambassadors.
The first time we noticed her was in an advertisement for a perfume in which she played a well-dressed young girl who, dying of boredom in a ceremony, let her imagination burst out in a vigorous and delirious choreography.
Signed Spike Jonze, the mini-film had revealed all of Margaret's talent as a dancer – her first training.
Because the young actress has an asset that few other actresses have, that of having a body worked by years of discipline, powerful and flexible, which adds an undeniable “physicality” to her acting.
In
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,
by Quentin Tarantino, she literally burst the screen, in torn denim shorts and threadbare leather sandals, slender legs, dragging the streets of Los Angeles stunned with heat.
She was Pussycat, one of killer Charles Manson's groupies.
Tarantino (notorious foot fetishist) even offered her a memorable scene in a car – she was flirting with Brad Pitt, her filthy feet carelessly resting on the dashboard…
On video,
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,
the trailer
Since this role which marked a turning point, the proposals are linked to the cinema (she has just turned for the director Yorgos Lanthimos and for Ethan Coen), but also on television (the Netflix series Maid)
.
Playing the comedy, the one who started as a model did not imagine it, certainly refraining from following in the footsteps of Andie MacDowell, her illustrious mother – from whom she inherited the legendary brown mane.
“Ah yes, I have my mother's hair, I know!” she said, bursting out laughing and rolling her eyes.
Protected from the din of Hollywood, Margaret grew up in an uneventful suburb of Asheville, North Carolina.
Her mother is this discreet star, former model, revealed by
Greystoke, the legend of Tarzan
(with Christophe Lambert, 1984), then in
Sex, lies and video
(by Steven Soderbergh, Palme d'or at Cannes in 1989) - before d explode in the 1990s in the register of bittersweet comedy
(Green Card, Groundhog Day, Four Weddings and a Funeral).
Her father, Paul Qualley, is a successful – and square-jawed – model.
Her parents divorced in 1999. Pampered, she is the youngest of three siblings (she has an older brother, Justin, and a sister, Rainey, actress and singer), a daddy's girl
,
as she says with humor.
Meeting with a young woman full of fantasy.
Long dress in golden silk jacquard, Chanel.
Chanel make-up by Céline Martin.
Care N° 1 de Chanel Rich Revitalizing Cream with Red Camellia, Teint N° 1 de Chanel Revitalizing Foundation with Red Camellia B20, Les 4 Rouges Yeux et Joues Tendresse, Noir Allure Noir Mascara, Lips N° 1 de Chanel Lip Balm and Cheeks Healthy Pink.
Hairdresser Ramona Eschbach.
Manicure Joanna Memmi.
Katja Rahwles
Madame Figaro
.
– What does Chanel mean to you?
Margaret Qualley.
– When I was 16, one of my first modeling jobs was for Chanel.
I had to parade, and it was Karl Lagerfeld himself who gave me some advice: how to put your hands in your pockets to give yourself a countenance, how to have the right shoulder posture… He was adorable.
The house of Chanel has something very family about it, I am surrounded by women there, and Virginie Viard, its artistic director, is brilliant and so creative.
In addition, he is a very humane person, able to give you his coat if you are cold during a photo shoot, it's quite rare, isn't it?
As a child, I was not the type to want a Chanel bag, but today I measure my luck to be the ambassador of such a beautiful house.
I always danced, it was my universe, and I put all my energy into it
Margaret Qualley
Before becoming an actress, you were destined for a career as a dancer...
I have always danced, it was my universe, and I put all my energy into it.
Around 12 years old, I chose to specialize in classical dance.
But it was perhaps already a little late to aspire to a professional career.
It is such a demanding discipline.
I almost joined a small company in North Carolina, but I gave up, I don't think I was up to it… So I moved to New York, without really knowing what I wanted to do.
I did a little modeling, without conviction.
I was born in Montana, but I grew up in North Carolina, in an uneventful suburb.
A simple and discreet life.
New York was a drastic and quite violent change.
I was very young, I didn't know anyone, I lived alone... Today,
I've been living there for ten years, and I love this city, but I don't know if I've finally become a real New Yorker!
It's a
boyfriend
aspiring actor who is at the origin of my vocation as an actress.
One day he took me to one of his drama classes, and I loved it!
In fact, I had never really thought of becoming an actress, even if it is my mother's job.
I know, it's quite paradoxical...
"Having a mother so passionate about her job and so respected by the profession is very inspiring"
Sequined cotton lace dress and beaded bag, Chanel.
Coco Crush hoop earrings, pendant and ring, in gold, Chanel Joaillerie.
Chanel make-up by Céline Martin.
Care N° 1 de Chanel Rich Revitalizing Cream with Red Camellia, Teint N° 1 de Chanel Revitalizing Foundation with Red Camellia B20, Les 4 Rouges Yeux et Joues Tendresse, Noir Allure Noir Mascara, Lips N° 1 de Chanel Lip Balm and Cheeks Healthy Pink.
Hairdresser Ramona Eschbach.
Manicure Joanna Memmi.
Katja Rahwles
How do you grow up when your mother is a movie star?
I learned a lot from her.
To have a mother so passionate about her job and so respected by the profession is very inspiring.
It makes you want to give your all for your passions, and my parents have always supported me a lot, they believed in me, and it's the best gift you can give to a child.
With us, we are very family.
When I was shooting
Stars at Noon
in Panama, my father, who moved there when I was 14, came to see me on set every day.
And this, even at four in the morning, while we were shooting in the middle of the Panamanian jungle… My sister, Rainey, who is four years older than me, is really my best friend, I ask her for advice all the time.
As a child, I waited in front of her bedroom door for her to let me in so that we could play dolls together.
I followed her everywhere like a little dog!
Which movie of your mother do you prefer?
There are so many !
But I admit that I have a weakness for
Green Card,
with Gérard Depardieu.
I love the style she has in the film, she plays this kind of typical New Yorker who's a bit stuck up, in a long skirt or overalls.
And then the apartment in the film is incredible, with its terrace overflowing with plants, a dream!
Read alsoRaphaël Quenard, rising star and all-terrain French cinema
“My style icon is Adam Sandler”
Ruffled swimsuit, cotton voile and lace shorts, and two-tone ankle boots, the Chanel set.
Coco Crush hoop earrings and ring, in gold, Chanel Joaillerie.
Chanel make-up by Céline Martin.
Care N° 1 de Chanel Rich Revitalizing Cream with Red Camellia, Teint N° 1 de Chanel Revitalizing Foundation with Red Camellia B20, Les 4 Rouges Yeux et Joues Tendresse, Noir Allure Noir Mascara, Lips N° 1 de Chanel Lip Balm and Cheeks Healthy Pink.
Hairdresser Ramona Eschbach.
Manicure Joanna Memmi.
Katja Rahwles
And you, what is your style?
I think I'm pretty classic.
I have favorite pieces, timeless ones, but in reality I always wear the same things, easy,
boyish
stuff .
My fiancé and I share our closet, we have a closet for two!
I find it cool, it allows me not to think too much about what I'm going to wear.
My style icon is Adam Sandler… I know his entire filmography by heart, I was attracted to him as a teenager.
You saw him in
Wedding Singer
(
Tomorrow we get married!,
Editor's note), he is insane!
What memories do you keep from filming with Quentin Tarantino?
Quentin is hypergenerous and passionate.
Every day, he arrived on set as if it were Christmas morning!
Everything was very precise.
The character of Pussycat is inspired by a real person.
To prepare me for the role, he gave me DVDs to watch, documentaries on the Manson Family, and then records recorded by Manson (the assassin of Sharon Tate had the ambition to be a rock star, editor's note) .
The film is truly a love letter to Hollywood.
During the filming, I was living with my sister, in Los Angeles.
Every day, to go to the set, I borrowed his old convertible Mercedes which broke down all the time and which had no air conditioning… I arrived covered in dust!
There was something very friendly about the shoot, I
I love French cinema, I'm a fan of Isabelle Adjani and Marion Cotillard, and I would love to work with François Ozon
Margaret Qualley
What cinephile are you?
When I was younger, I didn't watch that many movies, but I've made up for it since then.
I keep up to date with everything that's being done and I see a lot of things, because cinema is a good way to understand times and cultures.
I love French cinema, I'm a fan of Isabelle Adjani and Marion Cotillard, and I would love to work with François Ozon.
It was after seeing me in Tarantino that Claire Denis wanted to work with me.
We stayed very close.
Claire can be tough, but she is also very sensitive, very determined.
There is a French actor whom I admire enormously, seen at Claire Denis and also at Leos Carax, it is Denis Lavant.
In
Bad Blood,
there is this cult scene in the form of a long tracking shot in which he runs and dances like a madman on the title
Modern Love
, by David Bowie… Well, my secret dream would be to be Denis Lavant!
Bustier dress in silk muslin embroidered with sequins, Chanel.
Coco Crush hoop earrings, in gold, Chanel Joaillerie.
Katja Rahwles
Stars at Noon,
by Claire Denis, released on June 14, 2023.